Contact
by kissytherasberryeatingvampire
Summary: Want to know why every one ended up together that Christmas? Want to know what happens next? read to find out. This is being written as a present to one of my best friends so tell me what you think PLEASE.
1. Chapter 1

When I was younger my mother told me never to steal. She taught me that taking something that wasn't yours was one of the most horrible crimes you could commit. If she saw me now she'd probably take my life. Tecnically though I wasn't stealing any individuals money... besides if it was anyone like Benny who was losing this money they deserved it anyway.

Ok so Benny did pay for Angel's funeral, At the time I felt so grateful for his generosity…. but now that i know more about him...

He saw that he was losing his girlfriend, not that you could ever really say he had her. Mimi loved Roger but yet Benny couldn't just go back to his wife and live happily ever after. He had to prove to Mimi that he was the better option for her. The best way to do that was to pay for her best friends funeral, when the rest of her friends couldn't afford to.

Oh Angel, I miss you so much. A-N-G-E-L. I can still remember our first kiss as l punch that code into the ATM machine. We'd just left one of Angel's life support meetings (the first one that I ever went too) I hadn't known her for more then a few hours, so we hadn't as yet established our relationship properly. We had flirted like hell though. Normally drag queens are not my type, but there was something differnet about this one. She was extremely pretty, with features feminine enough that they, almost, hid the fact that she was technically a man. Her wig was short, dark and framed a face that was almost as cute as the clothing she wore. I'd never understood the attraction of a straight boy to a skirt. Until now.

My first meeting with Angel was kind of embarrassing, I'd just come back to New York and was about to visit two of my friends (Roger and Mark but I'll tell you about them later). When I hung up the pay phone after calling them to ask for the key to their apartment, I was confronted by a group of… Well I suppose you'd call them thugs. They chased me down a back alley, then, finding I had no money, stole my coat and left me shivering in the street.

Being cold is never a good thing for anyone but when you have full blown AIDS coursing through your body and even the slightest chill could give you the cold which will have you killed… Well you can see it's pretty bad.

luckily Angel found me soon after and, despite my embarrassment at her not finding me in a more heroic situation, I'm really glad she did, not just because it saved my life but because the next ten months I spent with her where some of the best months I'd ever have.

The name Angel suited her well. She walked like an Angel, talked like an Angel and kicked ass like an Angel. I can still remember the time at Maurens protest, when she was insulted by some arsehole. I wanted to hit him for her, but she held up her hand to stop me, then, walking right up to him (which was intimidating enough) said "I'm more of man then you'll ever be, I'm more of a women then you'll ever get'' before kissing his cheek softly and bouncing back over to where Maureen and l were standing, our mouths gapping..

I was glad that she had shown the same interest in me that I had felt for her. We spent the time after Moorhens protest laughing and dancing at the life cafe (where we managed to 'accidently' piss off Benny). Angel had already invited me to stay at her house with her so at about 1am on Christmas morning we made our way through the freshly fallen snow back to her house. That night was the first night we met. It was also the first night we had sex. Surprising as it may be this wash't ussually like me. Not since I'd gotten the disease that world one day tear me apart, (and not through loss of my own life). I don't know why Angel was an exception to that, it wasn't as though it was because she had my disease, I'd had the opportunity with people like me before and had always turned them down. Some part of me just gave myself up to her.

I listed before a few things that made her suit the name Angel. Her kisses were another one of these signs. I swear I had to check my own pulse to make sure that i hadn't died when ever I was close to her. The feel of her lips against mine was like tasting chocolate for the first time- soft, sweet and leaving you begging for more. The only difference was I didn't think I would ever sick from too much of her. The contrast of our skin colours was probably one of the sexiest things I will ever see. It was like adding hot chocolate to a warm glass of milk.

She really was an Angel, and, despite what I knew to the contrary, I truly believed I'd be able to have her forever.


	2. Chapter 2

"La Vie Boheme" Mimi called, laughing loudly as Benny left disgusted by the "inappropriate" behaviour of her friends. Looking around the room she noticed me, finally alone, practising my guitar. Approaching me from behind, Mimi called "excuse me, did I do something wrong? I get invited then ignored all night long.

I looked back into Mimi's chocolate brown eyes and sighed, there was nothing I wanted more then a chance to be with this girl, but it could never happen. I'd already lost one love and I couldn't bear to be the cause of the loss of another, or have her watch me fade away either. "I'm sorry, I've been trying" I said, ignoring the disbelief that was now showing plainly on her face. "I've just got a few problems at the moment, and I can't bear to put you through that as well."

Just then there was a loud beeping sound, and both of reached into their pockets and pulled out a tablet. "AZT break" she said, probably in response to the look of surprise on me face.

"You too?"

Mimi smiled weakly and nodded. This confirmation scared me more then anything I'd ever experienced before. Even when I'd found out the I was positive I wasn't this scared, Mimi was only nineteen years old. Even April and I were older then that when we found out we were positive. I can still remember the day April and I met…

It was during a performance of my song ( I say song because I only really wrote one good one). I can't really say it was the ideal gig. But it was the start of two really great things. One of those was the signing of my one hit wonder song. The other was my relationship with April. Before her I was your typical young guy, taking girls out, sleeping with them, maybe even dating them. But the second commitment was mentioned I bolted like the wind.

There was something special about the girl whose gorgeous green eyes were gazing up at me. Her smile was what really hooked me though (maybe that was why I couldn't take my mind off Mimi). It was one of those warm charming smiles that made your eyes drawn to it.

We didn't really talk much that night, despite our spending the night together. For the evening it seemed as if she was going to be like any other girl, I'd spend a night with her, then never see her again. But during the night something must have happened to change me. For the next few years she was all I thought about. It's quite ironic that Mark is now telling me that I need to get out of the house. He used to bug me to see him once in a while. I wasn't the best friend to him at the time, even then he needed support through the roller coaster that was his relationship with Maureen.

Before April had come into the equation I had been that support. There had been one night that when we'd known Maureen was cheating on Mark (despite how much she hurt him, we would always be great friends). We'd just been surprised by Collin's coming out and while Benny (he was still our 'friend' at the time) chased him around offering his 'support' (and convincing him that he was straight (and you thought we only hated Benny because of the rent)) Mark and I were trying to convince ourselves that we didn't have that homophobia that was innate in most straight guys.

"It's not like it bothers me" Mark said, after half an hour of complete awkward silence.

"No, we're completely cool with it." I grunted in reply. Another half hour of shocked silence then; "well at least Collins' boy is a lot nicer then Muffy."

"I think her name is Alison"

I rolled my eyes and shrugged "whatever"

"You know… the only reason I feel weird about this is because I don't understand the attraction"

"Yeh, I mean how does it work…"

The only weird thing about what happened next was we weren't drunk. Our lips met and before we knew it we were all over each other. Only a few moments into our kiss I found Mark opening his mouth to allow my entry. I surprised myself by accepting and soon enough we were all over each other.

Mark definitely wasn't the best kisser, nor was I entirely turned on by kissing a male, even my best friend. Something was drawing my lips to his though, there was some magnetic force that was keeping me on top of him.

We kissed for what felt like a few minutes (but when we looked at the clock turned out to be three hours) before the magnetic forces finally released us. We pulled apart and sat up on the couch, Mark pushing his glasses back on and me fixing my hair. Our third awkward silence for the afternoon was followed by Mark saying; "no. I still don't see it".

After that neither of us even thought about being homophobic again. That's not to say we didn't make out again…


	3. Chapter 3

Life Support

Mimi:

I loved Roger from the first time I saw him. I was eighteen and it was my first night working at the Cat Scratch. He was there to see his girlfriend, the then lead dancer, April. The chill that ran through me as he watched the two of us dance was amazing. I knew that he was watching his girlfriend, she was the only one of us he had eyes for, yet I felt as though I needed him to watch me, needed his attention. Maybe I got it, I guess I'll never know, but at the end of the night it was April he put his arms around. It was April whose ear he whispered _'I love you' _into.

I knew I had nothing to feel jilted over. He probably didn't know who I was; it wasn't like he was betraying me. Yet I still felt as though he'd gone home with the wrong girl. As I left the club I turned right, instead of crossing the road to go to my apartment, it was hard enough for me to sleep on a normal night, let alone when I was feeling like this, besides, it looked as if I was going to have to follow the happy couple at least part of the way home. I headed over to the place I knew I'd feel comfortable, and welcome, no matter what time I arrived there. Angel's house.

I'd met Angel when I was fifteen years old. My mother had disapproved of the relationship, saying that she was too old for me to hang around with, though we both knew that the real reason was because she was afraid of drag queens.

The two of us had clicked straight away. I had been on my way home from school and watched her scare off a group of skinheads. It had amazed me the way that she could be so brave when they where obviously so much bigger then her. It was angel who taught me to go after what I wanted what I believed in.

It wasn't long before I learnt to trust her with everything. She was a great friend to me. I told her everything that had happened in my life. About the reason I'd caught HIV, why I'd started taking drugs. She encouraged me to reach for my dreams, despite what my mother said. She had never encouraged me to leave school, but she understood why I did it, and whilst she made it clear to me that she didn't think it was the best idea, she had still supported me. It was her who got me the job at the cat-scratch. It wasn't exactly what either of us was hoping for, but if I wanted to be a dancer I had to start somewhere, I wasn't going to get to Broadway with out any real dancing experience.

So it was Angel that I went to for comfort that night after Roger. I explained what happened, what I was feeling. She smiled "I think that's what they call love at first sight".

I rolled my eyes, "or lust. Maybe it was just the fact that he was the first guy who'd not dropped his girlfriend for me."

"I don't think so honey, the fact that, out of all the sleazy men in that room, he caught your eye, it's got to mean something."

"Oh angel" I sighed "you think everything means something"

"Because it does. I promise you, one day you'll catch that boy's eye and he'll have a hard time believing he loves that boy as much as he loves you."

This wasn't the kind of advice that I'd normally receive from Angel, so it affected me a little more then usual. I couldn't help but think about what it would be like if Roger (though I didn't know his name at the time) had met me instead of April. Would I be the one he gazed after night after night? Would it be April in my position, working hard to get that boy to glimpse at her for just a second?

Our boss, Lionel had decided that as men seemed to be turned on by girl-on-girl action, he would "have" to incorporate a kiss into our routine. April and I were told that as we were the hottest dancers in the club, we'd need to do it. I was a little nervous at first, but I soon warmed up to the idea, I'd had so many meaningless kisses before, what difference did it make that this one was with a girl?

It was April who caused the most problems. She agreed to do the kiss, (it was that or loose her job) but when we rehearsed it there was some part of her that pulled away, making it seem less convincing. We got to the night of our first performance of the new routine before Lionel told us that if we didn't get it right that night we'd both loose our jobs.

As that job was the only thing (other then Angel) I had, I was determined to keep it. I realised I couldn't rely on April to help; I needed to take the lead my self.

I was good at the routine already, but that night I surprised at my own ability. I know it's not really something to be proud of to excel in an S&M dance but that night I really shone. Every one pair of eyes in that room was on me, including Rogers I'm sure. When we got to the kiss I imagined that it was him I was kissing. I allowed myself to let go and put every ounce of effort that I could into kissing April. To my surprise she kissed me back, with just as much passion. It was hard to pull away. The rest of the night was a blur. We made more tips then I think I've ever made in that one night. I vaguely remember April telling Roger she was going to stay at her own apartment that night, before I was dragged along with her. We kissed the entire way up to her apartment, pausing only briefly to put her key in the door. I was still picturing Roger whilst she kissed me. I knew the real thing would have been much better but was very close. Her hands felt like heaven as they clutched at my breasts. It didn't take long for me remove both of our clothing. I slid my hand between her legs and made my way up, feeling her muscles tense with pleasure from my touch. She moaned as I put my finger inside her, flicking it out slightly. I built up a rhythm in my wrist, gradually gathering speed as the pleasure built up inside her. I left soon after she came, not minding that I hadn't felt the same release. That night was about her pleasure, not mine.

That night April died, leaving me with a note;

_Thank you for making my last night enjoyable_

And a guilty conscience.


	4. Chapter 4

Tango Maureen

Maureen:

My mother was convinced that Mark and I were going to be together forever. I'm serious, from the moment she met him she was planning our wedding, she'd even picked out names for our children.

But that was her fantasy. Not mine. I loved Mark Cohen, I still do. But not in that same way mother thought I did. Not in a way that I could live with him forever. I did think about marriage with him for a little while. I think we may have even gotten engaged at one point. But the thought of being stuck with Mark for the rest of my life really scared me and I knew that wasn't what a relation ship was supposed to be.

I'll be honest. I wasn't exactly faithful to Mark before I left joanne. I really had trouble sticking with the one guy.

With Joanne on the other hand everything was different. I don't think I even touched Mark while I was having an affair with her. When she asked me to leave Mark for her, I did it with out even hesitating. So many others had asked me to leave him for them and I had just ignored their requeasts. With Joanne I didn't even have to think.

We met at the Life Café, not a place she ussually frequented but she was there talking with a client and I'd just happened to arrive when she was leaving. Our eyes met as she held the door open to me and It was a very cliche first meeting. We ended up talking and she invited me up to her place for the night. an offer there was no way I was going to refuse.

A week later I told Mark it wasn't going to work.


	5. Chapter 5

Tune up #1

Mark:

"why wait for her?" Roger asked from the doorway of our loft. "it's not like she's coming back". He was talking about Maureen of course.

I sighed "I know, but I still wish…"

A harsh tone interppted me "you know she's cheating." I nodded "then why bother"

"Because I still love her"

Roger sighed and flopped down on the couch next to me. His leg rubbed against mine causing a heat to build inside me that seemed to come from the slighest contact these days. Ever since we'd met Collins' boy.

He seemed to feel the same passion to. it was odd to see an emotion in him other then grief or anger these days, Aprils death was only three months past.

He leant across and kissed me. I knew this meant nothing to him. I was just a way he thought he could get over April. I was only a toy. But I liked him to much to care about any of that.

Roger brought our lips together, sliding one hand up to gently cup my face while the other explored my body. He pressed me down into the couch as he deepened the kiss. I felt both my body and mind surrender to him. My hand gripped at the waistband of his jeans, pulling him as close to me as possible.

His eyes gazed lustily into mine and I felt his hand slide under my jeans to grip me tightly. I moaned and kissed his neck, whispering "I want…"

I couldn't finish the sentence, but he knew what I meant. "Are you sure" he asked his eyes suddenly serious. I nodded. "What about protection… I don't want too…" _infect you._

We let the words hand there unspoken for a second. Neither of us liked the harshness of them. For a few moments they circled my head. Until Roger shifted his position and my lust returned. I stood and went off to my room. Maureen had insisted that we had a draw full of condoms in case we were ever stuck in the loft with no way out. The event had never happened of course, we had often found a reason to dip into our supply. Now though the draw was dusty and untouched, Maureen and I barely had a reason to open it.

Hastily I grabbed on off the top of the pile and returned to Roger, who was waiting eagerly for me. He slipped it on and turned me onto my stomach. His lips pressed into my skin as he pushed himself inside me. I moaned as the pleasure built up inside me. I wanted this feeling to stay with us forever. I wanted to always be the only thing on Rogers mind.

Unfortunately it came to an end, and the two of us lay next to each other, me panting a little more then Roger. I rolled over to face him and could see the tears in his eyes. "Do you think this is what it feels like?" he whispered "to die?"


	6. Chapter 6

Light my candle

Mimi:

It was technically Christmas day when Roger and I finally got together. I guess he wasn't really sure how to go about loving someone again, so I played carefully. We sat up late that night, talking in my apartment. He laughed the way someone does when they've forgotten how to, softly, cautiously, beautifully.

I remember a few hours before hand; we were outside in the snow. I was trying so hard to convince him that he should trust me, give me a chance. He took me hand briefly and squeezed it tight. In that one gesture I'd felt all the warmth that is possible, all the good things that you can feel. I smiled at him and he returned it, hesitantly, but he returned it. "I'd forgotten how to do this" he said "until your candle burnt my skin".

I brought this up again later on and kissed me. "There are many things I'd forgotten until today" he said, "like what it was like to have something to live for"

I wasn't expecting that response from him, not just yet. It made me think; maybe he had seen me those nights at the cat scratch. Maybe it was me that he was smiling for. Maybe we did feel the same about each other. Roger's voice pulled me away from my thoughts. He held out his hand to me, "how about that dance?" he asked pulling me into him.

I took it cautiously, scared to break his resolve. I want him to trust me, to love me. The way I love him. He pulls me in close and we keep in time with the music coming in from the apartment below. He put his free hand on my waist and I tensed, waiting for him to pull way. He doesn't. Instead he pulled me in closer to him and kisses me. He held me tight, as though he never wanted to let go. And I never wanted him to. His kiss is like a drug... no better. If there were no drugs left in the world I'd survive withdrawal on his kiss.

Before long desire took over, destroying any traces of rational thought. Roger moved with surprising speed. Within seconds my clothing was on the floor beneath my feet. I pushed him back onto the couch, allowing him to pull me down on top of him. We kissed again, timidly at first, but then with the most passion I've ever felt in a kiss. After a while I sensed hesitation again and pulled away "what's wrong"

He smiled "nothing" I wasn't fooled, and gave him a sceptical look.

Roger sighed "I'm scared, that's all" he said, running his hand over my naked back.

I kissed him softly "you can't hurt me"

"I can't hurt you" he agreed "and I promise I won't"

He kissed me again and allowed me to pull off his shirt. I was amazed at how wonderful his chest felt, for someone who was still coming out of drug withdrawal.

It wasn't long before the rest of his clothing accompanied mine. It felt so good to feel his bare skin against mine for the first time. Roger's kisses became more insistent, needier. I knew exactly what he wanted. I moved my leg around his waist and grinded against him, revelling in the sounds of pleasure I received. "Mimi!" He moaned as I took him in my hands "I need you"

I nodded and slowly lowered myself onto him. I'd never felt anything like the pleasure Roger gave me.

He put his hands on my hips and guided me whilst I regained my composure. I needed to wrap my arms around him tightly as we sped up, wanting to feel every part of him against me.

Roger changed our position quickly, never breaking our connection. He thrust on top of me, slowly at first but gradually building up until we back at our previous pace.

I must have woken up the entire building as I cried out in release. Luckily his calling out my name was just as loud. He thrust faster, until he was completely spent, then collapsed against my chest, still inside me. I pulled him closer to me. He kissed me again and in that moment he didn't need to say it. I knew he loved me the same way I loved him.


	7. Chapter 7

Your Eyes

Roger:

The phone buzzing in my pocket was doing nothing to help my nerves. I had turned off the ringing to prevent the people I was running past from staring, but the vibrations were still there. My vision was blurred by my own tears, not a good thing when crossing busy New York City roads, but I kept running anyway. The buzzing in my pocket continued; "I'll be there when I can" I muttered through gritted teeth.

A few days earlier Mimi had woken up with a horrible fever. We'd rushed her to hospital, an idea she'd hated but understood the need for. Doctors had tried their best to save her, stuffing her full of antivirals, but now it seemed her time was up.

I had stayed by her side the entire time, only leaving when Mark had made me go get some rest. Judging by the still unanswered phone I my pocket though, it looked like that had been a bad time to leave.

I didn't see the point in answering Marks call. There was only one reason he would bother; bad news. So instead I was running through the busy streets, desperate to reach her, needing to say goodbye. April had not left me a chance to say goodbye, I wouldn't cope if I missed my chance to farewell Mimi as well.

The buzzing stopped and so did I. 'Mimi' I whispered. It was the only thing I was able to say, the only thing I was able to think. She wasn't gone yet, she couldn't be. There was a chance I could still make it in time. But then the buzzing restarted and I knew; it wasn't just a need to say goodbye, it was Mimi I needed. There was no way I could survive with out her.

So I stopped where I was. Stopped crossing the road. Reaching Mimi didn't matter anymore, whether she was alive or gone wasn't important. There was no chance of her recovering, no chance of me seeing her pretty brown eyes smiling at me as she returns home from work. No chance I would ever see the light dancing as her hair reflects the moonlight. No chance that I would ever find my song again.

That's why I stopped. Not just reaching Mimi, not just running, not just crying. That's why I stopped everything.


	8. Chapter 8

Finalé

It is believed that Roger and Mimi died at the same time or, at least within minutes of each other. I had been calling Roger to tell him that Mimi looked like she was going to get better. I had thought he'd want to know. But I guess he'd believed that I was calling him with bad news again, and couldn't cope.

The doctors said that Mimi's temporary recovery was probably like the calm before the storm. But we all knew it was because Mimi couldn't survive with out the two people who she loved the most.

Angel and Roger.


End file.
